Kicking Depression

Ever feel depressed and have no idea how to get out of your funk? I used to get all dark, for like weeks on end, til I figured out something, depression is all about my way of thinking, not about my circumstances. Like I wrote in Devotions for the God Girl, most of the time depression is either about getting what I want and realizing it wasn’t what I thought it would be or not getting what I want and being upset about it. Either way, it’s all about me, not God. So, unless you’re dealing with a real medical condition, like clinical depression, feeling better about life just has to do with reassessing what you want.

When you can change your focus from loving what you want to loving whatever God wants to give you, then depression starts to fade away. When you trust that God is truly involved in the lives of those who love him, then you don’t need to be all depressed because suddenly you see things through new lenses. You see life—the good, the bad, the ugly, all of it—as a gift from him, one that you might not understand just yet but trust that one day you will appreciate.

Depression and moping around about life are often symptoms of spiritual sickness, and you can change your attitude if you are willing to trust God and look for him relentlessly. Take your focus off of what you want, need, or demand and put it onto looking for God and finding him in the middle of your mess and your emptiness.